Automobile torpedo.



H. W. SHONNARD.

AUTOMOBILE TOBPEDO. APPLICATION man JUNE 21. |911.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

willi N"QNQQ WITNESSES me MM45 uw co. vraanrnnw, wwwa-ram mc.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT Ormea.

HAROLD W. SHONNARD, OF UPPER MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CRUCIBLE STEEL COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE TORPEDO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application led June 21, 1917. Serial No. 176,095.

To all whom t may Concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD W. SHoN- NARD, residing at Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,"a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Torpedoes, of which improvements the following is a specification.

Automobile torpedoes, as usually constructed, comprise three main sections, a head containing the explosive material, a compressed air or gas section and an afterf body in which is placed the machinery and apparatus necessary to propel and guide the torpedoes. My present invention concerns, primarily, the construction of the second of these main sections, namely, that in which the compressed air is stored. Usually this section is in the form of a thick Walled fiask constructed of special steel, and its complete manufacture requires a great amount of labor and skill, so that its cost is a very substantial part of the cost of the entire torpedo. The necessity of such an expensive air flask arises from the requirement of long range torpedo fire.

It is the obj ect of my present invention to provide, for relatively short range torpedoes, a compressed gas storage section, which will be simple and effective in construction and which may be manufactured at a very small cost as compared to the usual air flask. A further object is to improve the general construction of torpedoes.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming part of my specification, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention. Figure 1 is'a combined vertical section and side elevation of a torpedo; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view taken on the line II-II, Fig, 1; and Fig. 3 a partial sectional view to enlarged scale showing details of construction of the outer casing.

In the practice of my invention the compressed gas section of the torpedo comprises a cylindrical casing constructed of an outer hull or body portion andl transverse fore and aft bulkheads, and a plurality ofelongate asks arranged within such casing and supported at their opposite ends bly the bulkheads.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention the outer hull 1 is made ofV relatively thin metal as compared to the thickness of the walls of the usual air flask, and the fore bulkhead 2, consisting of a flanged plate, is riveted thereto. A small portion of the body 1 projects beyond the bulkhead 2 for the purpose of securing thereto a war` gases. The filling and discharging ends of Y the flasks are secured to the aft bulkhead 5 and the closed ends to the fore bulkhead 2. That the flasks may, when under the pres- Sure of a charge of gas, expand laterally and longitudinally without damaging each other or their inclosing members, they are held at slight lateral intervals from each other, and the connections for supporting one yof their ends (preferably their closed ends) are in the form of expansion joints. As shown in the drawings, the closed ends of iasks are provided with projections or bosses 8 adapted to be received by, and to slide longitudinally within, flanged sockets 9 secured to the bulkhead 2. The lling and discharging ends of the flasks are preferably rigidly secured to the aft bulkhead 5, as by means of clamping or lock nuts 10. It will be observed that the flasks themselves will act -as struts to prevent any substantial buckling of the bulkheads toward each other. That they may not buckle outwardly, suitable stay rods 20 may extend from one bulkhead to the other.

Various numbers of flasks may be used, and they may be arranged in various Ways within the hull 1. Preferably, however, the

number and arrangement is as indicated in Fig. 2, there being onel fiask in the center and siX grouped around it.

Acharging valve 11, of any well known or desired construction, is used for filling the flasks, and, for connecting such Valve to the several fiasks, a single conduit 12 may lead from the bottom of the valve to the central flask and a circular conduit 13 from the sides of the valve to the outer asks.

Iel Of JChe torpedo afterbody. Y

`That `the torpedo ma .,bepIA- Operly halb;

The"valve,`i asV well as the usual regulating and stop valves used inV torpedo Y construction, are 'preferably-'secured to -a-l inidship section* 21: of'thehull, Whichsection is secured to and projects aft of Vtheloulkfhead 5.. A ring may be attachedto tta()V aft end of the hull section 21 for the dledwithout liability o crushing or otherf 1 wise injuring-. the hull sectionlyagreinforc- Ving ring 16 isfsecured, as by rivets 1,7,Jto-the Y' interiorfof thehull, preferably in the gen-v Yeral planeofthe'center of gravityof the entire torpedo. V To the outside'of the hullV opposite, to thereinforcing ringa guide 178 is attached. For making this attachment, theV -countersunkouter ends of theV rivets 17 are cupped Vand threaded to receivebo1ts`19 extending through the Vguide `1.8. This guide mayjalso serve asa'member whereby the tor-V pedo Vmay' be'engagedpfor the purposeof liftingv or otherwise ,moving it.

In assembling i my improved compressed gas section, the hull orgshell section l, with the vforebulkhead 2 attacheditol it, may be set on-end and the iavsks 71 entered through i thering4latfthe'cpenend of thehull, the

boss- 8 of each fiask being enteredy into its respective socket 9. The stay rods 20 may YVthen beattached to the fore bulkhead. The

Y Vflasks having been thus set in position, the

n afft bulkhead' 5, 'with' the midship hull 21 i 'ilriveted thereto,may be placed over thev ends i l.at

the-ring 4 by means of the joint screws 6.V The lock nuts l0 may then be attached to ofthe'la'sks andvstay rods and secured to 'il 'i each flask, after .which the valves 11 and 14 .are attached to the midsh-ip hull section 21 and connected, bytheconduits .l2 and 13, to

the several l flasks 7.

According to the provisions ofthe-patent statutes,` I Vhave described the principleof my` inventiontogether with Athe construction which I -now consider to represent the' best embodiment thereof. However, yI desire to have it understood that my invention may, within thescope of the appended claims,

bepractised'Y by'other forms of construction than that; specifically shown and described. Y Iclaimas my` invention:

`l. A compressedgas section of an automobile torpedo comprising anV outerhull or 'body lportion closed at its 'opposite "ends by bulkheads, anda plurality of velongate flasks arranged longitudinallyfof' said hull and VVsupported at their opp-osite ends by andrble-VV tween said bulkheads; l

2. A compressed gas section'of' an bile torpedo comprisin 'body portion closed atk its opposite ends by automof Gopi'es ofrtl'i-is patent fmay'belcb'tained for `five-.cents each; by adessingthf Commissioner :cfr-:Eateiita Y Y- ik y :.Wasmnstoafn-caag an: outer 'hull or bulkheadsfand a plurality ci' elongate flasks .arranged lengtudnally Of Said 1111.11 and Silp'rrtedat their? Opposite* ends' Ybyafd' b@- tufeer'rE said "bil'khea'dsj e"gs'upport"`fofr one t endofeah of the flasks being 'expansion Joint. m

3. compressed gas section of an auto1nobilewtorpedo comprising an out'erfhu-ll j'or vbody `porti-, O 1u.;.G lgllci at its opposite ends by 7 :tore andaft "bulkheads, a plurality of elongate lasks arrangedvlongitudinally otsaid hull, andl securedl at their openl enel to one bulkhead, l and 'slid'ing expansionsj'oint con- Ynections betweenftheiother bulkhead and-the 7 closed endsof said' iiasks.i 'l f f iz 4. Infan automobile torpedo the combination of an Y outer hull :or body lportion closed yat its-opposite ends bybulkheads, -a plurality ofelongate fiasks arranged longitudi- 8 nally *of saidhull,a=..one flask being atl the center :of the. hull aandy `the-others *being grouped` around the centrally disposed flask, saidflaskst'being supportedz'-by. said bulk- 'heads, `a'starting valve, Aand filling and dis- 8|` :charging conduitsjektending 4from said valve f? to each of'saidlasks. .f Y VIn anfautomobile torpedo the 'combination oi" an'outer hulle orbody portion` provided at each endwith` ringsfor theatta-ch- 9 ment ofi a, Vtorpedo, head andv` afterbody, fore t5.; and; aft b'ulkheadsiwithinv said hull' and forming therewith#y a flask compartment, a plurality 'of elongate'ftlasks,v supported atV their opposite ends by said-{.bulkheadsfthe support forfone'endofeachiilaskibeing an expansion` joint, af charging'ivalve secured to said hull aft of the aftbulkheadfand conduits .extendingfronr said valve to. each of Y saidiasks. 1;* I; 1U `6. A compressed'gassectiono an automoff bile torpedo coniprisin'gv'an outer` hull or lbody portion, foreza'nd vaft'bulkheads within saidhull and forming therewith -aiiask compartment', -a plurality'off elongate flasks su'p- 10 ported Yatthei-r'opposite ends'sby'said bulk- .2 f heads,'1and a reinforcing ring-secured to the interiorof saidhull at a point'intermediate 1ofr'saidbulkheads.` A" f j'v 7g Inan automobile torpedo,=the combina- 11 tionyof avhull or body portion, a reinforcing ring on thel interiorface of s aidhull, rivets extending through said ring andhull and cupped-at the outer face of. the hull, 'a guide, and screws engaging said guide ,and cupped 11 rivets.'- y

In testimony Vwh'ereofl have hereunto -set 

